Instituto Pedro Nunes - Associação para a Inovação e Desenvolvimento em Ciência e Tecnologia

Adherence Date
2012
Founding Date
1991
Keywords
Innovation
Website
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Founded in 1991 as an initiative by the University of Coimbra, Instituto Pedro Nunes (IPN) – Association for Innovation and Development in Science and Technology – is a non-profit private institution for public benefit. “It promotes innovation and the transfer of technology, establishing the interface between the scientific and technological system and the production sector.”

Mission Statement

Contribute to the transformation of the business environment and organizations in general, promoting a culture of innovation, quality, rigor and entrepreneurship, built on a solid university/enterprise relationship and operating in three fronts that reinforce and complement each other:

  • Research and technological development, consultancy and specialized services;
  • Business and idea incubation;
  • Highly specialized training and dissemination of science and technology.

Research and technological development, consultancy and specialized services

Holds its own technological infrastructures – six Technological Development Laboratories – besides access to a network of researchers from the National RTD System (Sistema Científico e Tecnológico Nacional), in particular from the University of Coimbra, namely through the Faculty of Science and Technology:

  • LED&MAT - Wear, Testing and Materials Laboratory, comprised of two units: UMS – Surface Modifications Unit and UGRAN – Granular Materials Unit;
  • LIS - Information technology and Systems Laboratory;
  • LAS - Automatic and Systems Laboratory;
  • LEC - Electroanalysis and Corrosion Laboratory;
  • LABGEO - Geotechnical Engineering Laboratory;
  • FITOLAB - Phytopathology Laboratory.

Through the Business and ideas Incubator IPN promotes the creation of spin-off companies, supporting innovative technology-based ideas from its own laboratories, higher education institutions, in particular from the University of Coimbra, the private sector and from RTD projects in association with the industry.

The incubator, managed by an autonomous association, IPN-INCUBADORA, provides companies with easy access to the National RTD System and an environment that allows the broadening of knowledge into fields such as quality, management, marketing and also facilitates contact with national and international markets.

With a self-sustaining business model that gives the flexibility and capacity to accompany business sector needs, IPN has supported more than 220 companies (27 in the health sector) with an export capacity greater than 35%. IPN was awarded with the “Best Science-Based Incubator 2010”.

Laboratory of Automatic and Systems (IPNlas)

The Laboratory of Automatic and Systems is one of the founding laboratories of Instituto Pedro Nunes. IPNlas develops projects in partnership with companies and entities of public domain through activities of technology transfer, consultancy and incentive for creation of spin-off companies.

IPNlas activities result from collaboration between researchers from Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (DEEC) of University of Coimbra, Institute of Systems and Robotics (ISR) and the University of Coimbra.

IPNlas has been responsible for several initiatives in Portugal and EU related with Ambient Assisted Living and ICT for Health and has participated in projects dealing with aspects of system design and architectures and the development of context-aware services in the eHealth and e-inclusion areas. IPNlas has been involved in European projects funded by Ambient Assisted Living Joint Programme (AAL-JP), the Co-living, CaMeLi and CogniWin, and in large national projects like Tice.Healthy and AAL4ALL.

Services/Products

Incubation and acceleration of technology-based enterprises; Research and technological development; Highly specialized training